Dramatic weight loss? Barack Obama leaves the gym at Fort McNair after a basketball game on the weekend. His jacket is so large on him that it slips right over his hand in the left-hand image

But the influential U.S. website, The Drudge Report, which described him as 'thin as a rail',
quoted an insider who said the president was working so hard that 'yes
he does occasionally skip meals'.

Under the headline 'Barack n Bones', the report claimed that the
president's exercise regime - including basketball games - is behind
the 'dramatic weight loss'.

Mr Obama on September 30 last year at a rally shortly before he was slammed by Schwarzenegger for his 'scrawny arms'

The unnamed 'insider' quoted by the report insisted that Mr Obama was working 'non-stop' - and that he was not chain-smoking.

The president was wearing a oversized jacket that did dwarf his frame, which may have contributed to the impression that he is losing weight.

Last week Mr Obama cheerfully announced in Miami that though he may be
skinny, 'I'm tough'.

His weight has been debated since he became the
Democratic presidential nominee in 2008, with some conservative opponents jokingly asking if he was too skinny to be president.

He was even teased by Republican California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger almost exactly one year ago for having such skinny legs.
'I'm going to make him do some squats,' the former Terminator star told
a campaign rally for Mr Obama's presidential rival John McCain.

He also teased the president about his 'scrawny little arms'.

Both the president and First Lady Michelle Obama have made healthy living a focal point of their time in the White House.

Mr Obama is often pictured playing basketball or returning from the
gym with aides, while Mrs Obama's infamous vegetable garden in the
grounds of the White House promotes healthy eating on top of exercise.

The First Lady's gym-toned arms have also been the topic of much discussion.

The
news that Mr Obama is skinny because he exercises will be welcomed by
health professionals and doctors also trying to promote healthy living.

Michelle Obama flexes her gym-toned arms, which have also provoked much debate, at a White House dinner in May